‘Steady’ growth continues as Buffalo Niagara region posts 2.1% job increase in April

The region recorded an 11,400 increase in jobs over a year ago, according to the state Department of Labor. That was a 2.1% increase from a year ago.

“It was a steady increase like we’ve had for the past few months,” said Timothy Glass, regional economist for the state Department of Labor in Buffalo.

The region’s percentage gain was third best among the state’s major metro areas, and better than the statewide average gain of 1.8%. Its job count increased by 2,800 from March.

The region’s construction sector continued to show improvement. Jobs in that sector were up 4% from a year ago, to 21,900, the best total for the sector since last October. The state’s report didn’t specify what drove the increase, but the new Buffalo Bills stadium in Orchard Park has been a significant source of construction employment in recent months.

The Buffalo Niagara region’s manufacturing sector recorded a 300-job gain increase from a year ago, to 54,500. The sector is anticipating some local layoffs, with Tesla announcing more than 340 job cuts at its South Buffalo plant, but those reductions are not due to take effect until August.

The leisure and hospitality sector, which was hit especially hard during the pandemic, continued to regain jobs, increasing 6% from a year ago. The sector’s 56,600 job count was the highest since October, and is practically double its total at the depths of the pandemic.

Employment in the region’s professional and business services sector dropped slightly from a year ago, which could have been the result of less hiring for temporary jobs, which are included in the sector’s statistics. And fewer temporary jobs could point toward more permanent hiring taking place.

The region’s overall job count of 559,600 was the highest total for any month since last December.

The state Labor Department next week is set to release unemployment figures for April. In March, the size of the region’s labor force dropped and the unemployment rate increased from a year ago, to 4.5% from 3.8%.